Blower for water-tube boilers.



H.- A. HIGGINS. BLOWER FOR WATER TUBE BOILERS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1911.

1,101,545. Patented June 30, 1914.

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I Q I. I I JW ZZ WEW H. A. HIGGINS.

BLOWER FOR WATER TUBE BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1911.

Patented June 30,191L

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BLOWER FOR WATER TUBE BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,1011,

1,101,545. Patented June 30,1914

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H. A. HIGGINS.

BLOWER FOR WATER TUBE BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAILll, 1911.

1 101 ,545, 4 Patented June 30,1914.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented We so, rare.

Applicationfiled marten, 1911. Serial No. 613,680.

being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This lnvention relates to boiler-flue cleaners, and particularly to that class thereof which may be applied to the setting of what is generally known as the inclined water tube boiler, and it has for one of its ob jects the provision of such an apparatus which may be rojected into, and withdrawn out of, the boiler setting, through the side wall thereof.

The invention has, furthermore, for its object the provision of means whereby each individual blower pipe may be manipulated to move in the arc of a plane in parallelism with the boiler tubes. Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear and be particularly defined in the claims. i

The. invention has been clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters denote similar parts, and in Whl0h- I Figure l is a. fractional side view of a boiler setting having my improved ueblower attached thereto; Fig. 2 1s a horizontal section thereof; Figs. 8 and 4' illustrate in horizontal and vertical sections, respectively, one of the blower heads carried by -the ends of the blower-tubes; Figs. 5 and 6 are Views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but represent a modification of the apparatus; and Fig. 7 illustrates in perspective view, the

means preferably employed for manipulating the flue cleaners as per modification, simultaneously.

Briefly stated, the present invention comrises a series of superposed 'steamrsupplymg or blower-tubes each carrying at its inher end a distributing head which may be swung in an inclined plane corresponding Stito the inclination of the boiler-tubes so as to clean ofl all soot, dust, ashes, etc., which may have lodged on top of the several tubes. The blower tubes receive their steam-supply from a vertical stand-pipe which may be fiti'bodily swung toward and away from the wall, and which, itself, may be-oscillated in its supporting hangers so as to cause the tube-heads to describe a small are over the boiler-tubes. Furthermore, each head has a series of nozzles which are successively brought into steam-blowing operation by a valve rotatable in the head, and all of these valves may be operated simultaneously.

Referring to the hangers, the steam boiler is in the present instance of the inclined water-tubes variety and comprises the tubes 10 inwhich the water is heated by the products of combustion passing through the spaces between the tubes in a boiler setting comprising a side-wall 11 Which'has the usual side openings 12 in a plate 13 set into the wall, said opening being normally clomcl by gates (not shown) but adapted to be opened to permit the insertion of cleaning tools.

In the preferred form thereof shown, my improved'fiue-blower comprises a steam-s11 ply pipe 15 having a horizontal branch 6 provided with a valve 17 and an elbow 18 which latter constitutes a"'journal-support for avertical nipple I9 in communication with a swing pipe 20, the outer elbow 21 of. which pivotally supports a vertical pipe 22 to which the several blower-tubes are secured. The nipple 1-9 has vertical rod=extension 23 the upper .end of which is journaled in a bracket-2A; secured to the wall 11, and a swin -arm 25 is secured to the rod 23 and pivota ly supports at its free end the upper end of the vertical pipe 22 above mentioned, so that in this manner the latter is mounted for revolution around the pivot axis of the rod 23, while the pipe 22 is also pivotally supported in its swinging supports. Secured to and in communicationwith this 'pc 22, are series of blower tubes 26 ear'chofwhich carries at its end a distributer-head 27, illustrated in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, and comprising a chambered-casing 28, the in terior of which communicates with a series of apertures or perforations 29,- all of which are disposed in the same plane, as shown in Fig. 4. The perforations are so arranged in regard to their directions, that the steam jets issuing therefrom willcover substantially the entire area over the water-tubes of the boiler, but in order to assure a thorough cleansing thereof, the pipe 26 is pivoted in its support so that, therefore. it may be swung slightly from side to side as limited 110 by the lateral size of the plate-apertures 12, it being understood that, furthermore, the head 27 is of such size as to permit its withdrawal through these apertures. Now, inasmuch as the boiler-tubes are inclined, the heads of the several blower tubes are so arranged that the steam-jets will blow over the tubes in a lane which is parallel to the circulation 0; the boiler-tubes and thus have a fartherreaching efiect than they would have otherwise.

Considering the fact that the provision of a comparatively large number of perforations in each head, multiplied again by the number of such heads, will in a measure open an aggregate outlet for the steam, that its effective pressure and velocity Wlll have a tendency to drop, means are provided for controlling the passage of steam through the perforations by shutting-01f some of these jets while others are active, the device for accomplishing this result being such that the several perforations will be successively cut-in and again shut-off. Hence I provide a valve consisting substantially of a hollowcylindrical body .30 having a peripheral helical slot 31 cut in such a manner that, in the instance shown, the rotation of the body, will put the interior of the casing into communication with the perforations, one at a time, although the slot may be wide enough that two or even more may be thus connected. It is also to be understood that for the purposes indicated, a similar groove instead. of a slot will answer as well, or the slot may be continued for the entire length of the body, as indicated in dotted lines a in Fig. 3, in which case the body becomes self-packing in thechamber 28. The rear end of the body }30 has a strap-ear 32 secured to one end :of a rod 33 which extends ithrough the entire length of steam-tube 26, and carries at its, outer end a gear 34.- (see Figs. 1 and 2) in engagement with similar gears on the several valve rods above and below the same, -so that, when one rod is rotated, as for instanceby a hand wheel 33', all the rods will be rotated simultaneously, in alternately reverse directions. This hand wheel also aflording means for guiding and controlling the swinging movement of the jet-tube and its head into and out of the confines of the setting-walls, as well 'as shifting it around between the boiler-tubes.

In Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, I have illustrated a modification of the manipulating means, the principle of the blower remaining the same, that is as far as its hanging-support and its movement per se is concerned. In this instance the distributer pipe 22 has short branches 35 which support vertical drop-pipes 36 slightly inclined so as to be substantially at right angles with the axes of the boiler-tubes. Horizontal jet pipes 37 having perforated heads 38', are connected with the drop-pipes 36, the entire organization being such that the jet pipe may be swung about the axis of the drop-pipe 36 in a plane in a parallelism with the inclination of 'the'boiler tubes instead of a horizontal plane about the vertical axis of the distributer pipe first described. In this instance a valve may be employed, as before. Likewise each jet pipe may be rendered independently operable as for example by a rod 38 (see Fig. 6), but I prefer to swing all the jet pipes simultaneously, a mechanism forsuch function being shown in Fig.

7, in which each drop-pipe carries an arm 40 whereby the jet pipes may be swun around the axis of the drop-pipe 36. Each arm may be oscillated through a .link 41, from a crank 42 secured to a vertical shaft or rod 43 which is journaled in bearinglugs 44 secured to the vertical distributing pipe 45. The latter is hung for swinging movement in the same manner as the pipe 22above described.

Attention is called to the fact that the head occupies a tilted position so as to bring the jet-perforations into a -plane parallel with the inclination of the boiler tubes.

Many changes may be made in the construction and general organization of the elements, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: 1. The combination with a boiler setting having perforations therein,

of a blowercomprismg a series of je'btubes adapted to pass through said perforations, a

the side-Wall of' 1 pipe connecting the outer ends of said tubes,

means for pivotally supporting said pipe for swinging movementirelatively to said wall, and a steamsupply connected with said pipe.

2. Thetcombination with the sidewall of a boiler setting having perforations therein, of a blower comprising a series of jet-tubes adapted to pass through said perforations, a pipe connecting the outer ends of said tubes, means for pivotally supporting said pipe on said wall, comprising a horizontal swing-pipe connected therewith, and a swing arm at the other end of said connector pipe and a steamsupply connected with said pipe, and means for swinging each tube longitudinally of the boiler-tubes.

3. The combination with the side-wall of a boiler setting having vertically alined perforations tlierein, of a blower comprising a" uperposed jet-tubes adapted to series of pass thro gh said perforations, a vertical pipe conn ecting the outer ends of said tubes, means for pivotally supporting said pipe for swinging movement relatively to said wall, and a steam-supply connected with said pipe, and means for controlling the passage of steam through said jet tubes.

4:. The combination with the side-wall of menses a boiler setting having vertically alined pertorations therein, of a blower comprising a series of jet-tubes adapted to pass through said perforations, a vertical pipe connecting the outer ends of said tubes, means for pivotally supporting the said pipe for swinging movement relatively to said wall, a steamsupply connected with said pipe, and means for swingin the jet tubes in a plane parallel with the boi er tubes.

5. A blower for boiler-tubes comprising a series of jet tubes, a'steam ipe connecting the outer ends of the said tubes, a head carried by the free end of each jet tube and having a series of differently-directed perforations and means for controlling the passage of steam through said perforations. 6; A blower forboiler-tubes comprising a series of jettubes, a steam pipe connecting the outer ends of said tubes, a head carried by the free end of each jet tube and having a series of difi'erently-directed perforations, and means for successively opening and closin said perforations.

A blower for boiler-tubes comprising a series of jet tubes, a steam pipe connecting the outerends of said tubes,a head carried by the free end of each jet tube and having a series of separate alined perforations, and

'ingand c a rotatable plug in each head for successively so opening and closing said perforations.

8 A blower for boiler-tubes comprising a series of get tubes, a steam. pipe connecting the outer ends of said tubes, a head carried by the free end of each jet tube and having a series of separate perforations, and a rotatable plu in each head for successively oped. osing said-perforations, and means for actuating said lugs simultaneously.

9. The combination with the side wall of- .49 a boiler settin' having almed superposed perforations, o a blower comprising a verti cal stand-pipe, ment toward and aWa having a y branches, a series of jet-tubes plvoted on said from said Wall, and

branches .on axes substantially at right angles with the axes of the boiler tubes, means for swinging said tubes on the stand pipe. a

- In testimony whereof} aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

adapted forswinging move series ot superposed -alined the branches, d teamwsupply connected was 

